Golf swing-conditioner



19, 1958 'r. o. BRANDON 2,848,234

GOLF SWING-CONDITIONER Filed July 24, 19s? INVENTOR.

im/was 0. Brando/1,

ATTORNEYS United States Patent GOLF SWING-CONDITIONER Thomas 0. Brandon, Cucamonga, Calif. Application July 24, 1957, Serial No. 673,916

6 Claims. (Cl. 273-35) The present invention relates to means for use in training a golfer and for teaching him proper golf club swinging habits, and particularly for building up muscles which should be used in the swing.

In order to obtain greater distance with better direction, skilled golfers employ a delayed wrist action in their swing, i. e., maintain their wrists in cocked position until they reach the ball position where centrifugal force pulling outward on the club uncocks the wrists so that the club is moved with increased speed as it engages the ball. This action is best achieved through the use of the right triceps in combination with the left triceps.

The present invention has for an object the provision of means for the conditioning and building up of these muscles to promote their properly combined use in the swing.

Another object of the invention is the provision of means for training the golfer in the maintenance of the wrists in cocked position throughout the required portion of the swing.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of means whereby the teaching of the proper swing embodying the delayed wrist action is facilitated.

A feature of the invention resides in the fact that the means for teaching and training can be used indoors as well as out-of-doors and thus can be employed to keep the swinging muscles in trained condition throughout the year.

Another feature of the invention resides in the fact that the device of the present invention-may be used in front of a mirror to enable the golfer to analyze his swing or to facilitate the teaching of others, by a golf instructor, the proper swing of the golf club.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the specification and claims when considered in connection with the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the device of the present invention.

Fig. 2 shows the device in use.

Fig. 3 shows another form of grip.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 44 of Fig. 3.

As shown in Fig. 1, the device of the present invention comprises an elongate elastic member having a mounting fitting 11 at one end provided with a loop 11a which is connected to an eye screw or the like fastener 12 which is adapted to be secured to a support 13. A grip fitting 14 is secured to the other end of the elastic member and has a loop 14a connected to an eye bolt 15 secured in the end of an elongate grip member 16 so that the grip member normally forms an axial extension of the elastic member. It will be appreciated that the cooperation of the loops 11a, 14a and the eyes 12, 15 at each end of the elastic member form, in effect, universal connections for each of these ends to the support and to the grip. Preferably, the grip member 16 has a diameter similar to that of a golf club grip and has a length at least long enough to receive the two hands in club-gripping relation. If desired, the grip can taper in- 2,348,234 Ce Patented Aug. 19, 1958 wardly from the free end, as shown in Fig. l, in a manner similar to that of the grip of a golf club.

While the elastic member may be formed from a coil or a different type spring, a contained fluid cushion, or other similar resilient means, it is herein illustrated as being formed from a plurality of rubber strands 10a compacted together and covered with a braided jacket 10b. The fittings 11 and 14 overlie the ends of the elastic member and grip the braid and hold it in position.

In use, the fastener 12 is secured, as shown in Fig. 2, to the support 13 so that it is located at approximately head height, i. e., at a point above the shoulders and below the top of the head and preferably at eye level. The golfer takes a position with his feet spread in a golf stance on a line perpendicular to the support and at a distance from the support such that when he initially grips the rip member with the usual two-handed golf grip and with the elastic member under slight tension, his hands are in the back portion of the back swing. As the forward spring is started, the pull on the grip, which is maintained in alignment with the elastic member as long as possible, causes the arms to be maintained in proper swing position, as shown in Fig. 2, with the left arm straight and the right elbow maintained close to and in front of the body.

As the swing progresses, the increased tension in the elastic member tends to bend the Wrists into an increasingly cocked position until they are well past the ball 19 in the ball position and are in the position as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, fully bent and cocked to the utmost extent. In pulling the grip through the swing, the right triceps will be greatly strengthened along with the left triceps. Since the device of the present invention can be used indoors as well as out-of-doors, the golfer can keep his golf muscles in condition and train these swinging muscles while traveling and all the year round even though the out-of-door weather would normally prevent practice.

Also, it has been discovered that when used before a mirror, the golfer can watch his swing and correct the mistakes therein, and that the basic errors in the swing will show up more clearly when the device of the present invention is used than when a golf club is swung.

Further, the pulling of the grip through the swing and against the elastic member strengthens the back, stomach and leg muscles and induces an effective weight transfer from the right to the left foot, thus inhibiting swaying in the swing as the hands move through the hitting area.

If, in addition to conditioning the muscles used in the swing, it is desired to also strengthen the muscles in the hands, the grip, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, may be used. This comprises an elongate longitudinal split grip 20 of a length to receive both the hands of the user with the parts of the grip normally urged apart a predetermined distance by resilient means which is overcome as the grip is gripped by the user. While the grip may be divided as desired, in the illustrated form of the invention it is formed of two sections 21, 22 which have one end connected together by a resilient loop 23 having its ends 230 disposed in sockets 21a, 22a in the sections and which, in effect, forms a hinge for the grip sections and may also be used in lieu of the eye bolt 15 for connecting the grip to the elastic member. The other ends of the grip sections are forced apart by a resilient means. While this may take the form of a coil spring or other like device, it is herein illustrated as comprising a plug or rod of rubber or the like resilient material 24 having the ends thereof secured in sockets 25 in the adjacent faces 26 of the grip sections, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The person using the grip squeezes the grip sections together against the resiliency of the rubber rod and this will strengthen the gripping muscles in the hands so as to improve the golfing grip as well as the swing and reduces a frequent tendency to open the hands deleteriously at the top of the swing while playing golf.

Not only is the device of the present invention most useful in conditioning the muscles used in the golf'swing and in analyzing that swing, but it is also helpful to golf instructors for demonstrating and teaching the feels and actions necessary to acquiring the proper golf club swinging habits, particularly those of the delayed wrist action.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of the claims and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

I claim:

1. A golf instruction apparatus for use in training and teaching a golfer the proper club swinging habits comprising an elongate elastic member having mounting means at one end adapted to be secured to a support at about the head height of the golfer and having the end of an elongate grip member secured to the other end to form a normally aligned continuation of said elastic member, said grip having a length to receive both hands of a player in alignment longitudinally of the grip.

2. A golf instruction apparatus for teaching a golfer the proper club swinging habits comprising an elongate elastic member having mounting means at one end adapted to be secured to a support at about the head height of the golfer and having the end of an elongate grip member pivotally connected to the other end to form a normally aligned continuation of said elastic member, said grip being tapered from the free end thereof and having a length to receive both hands of a player in alignment longitudinally of the grip.

3. A golf instruction apparatus for use in training and teaching a golfer the proper club swinging habits comprising and elongate elastic member having mounting means at one end adapted to be secured to a support at about the head height of the golfer, an elongate grip member having a length to receive both hands of a player in alignment longitudinally of the grip, and means pivotally connected the inner end of said grip member to the other end of the elastic member to form a normally aligned continuation of said elastic member..

4. A golf instruction apparatus for use in training and teaching a golfer the proper club swinging habits comprising and elongate elastic member having mounting means at one end adapted to be secured to a support at about the head height of the golfer, an inwardly tapered grip member simulating the grip of a golf club and having a length to receive both hands of a player in alignment longitudinally of the grip, and means pivotally connecting the inner end of said grip member to the other end of the elastic member to form a normally axially aligned continuation of said elastic member.

5. A golf instruction apparatus for use in training and teaching a golfer the proper club swinging habits comprising and elongate elastic member having mounting means at one end adapted to be secured to a support at about the head height of the golfer, an elongate longitudinally split grip having a length to receive both hands of a player in alignment longitudinally of the grip and having resilient means therein urging the split portion of the grip apart a predetermined distance, said grip portions being moved toward one another against the action of the resilient means when the grip is gripped during the use of apparatus whereby the hand muscles are trained and strengthened to improve the hand grip, and means pivotally connecting the inner end of said grip to the other end of the elastic member to form a normally aligned continuation of said elastic member.

6. A golf instruction apparatus for use in training and teaching a golfer the proper club swinging habits comprising and elongate elastic member having mounting means at one end adapted to be secured to a support at about the head height of the golfer, an elongate longitudinally split grip providing a pair of grip sections having a length to receive both hands of a player in alignment longitudinally of the grip, means hingedly connecting the sections together at one end of the grip, resilient means adjacent the other end of the grip urging the grip sections apart a predetermined distance, said grip sections being moved toward one another against the action of the resilient means when the grip is gripped during the use of apparatus whereby the hand muscles are trained and strengthened to improve the hand grip, and means pivotally connecting the inner end of said grip to the other end of the elastic member to form a normally aligned continuation of said elastic member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Patent No, 2,848,234

August 19 1958 Thomas 00 Brandon or appears in the printed specification d that the said Letters It is hereby certified that err ection an of the above numbered patent requiring corr Patent should read as corrected below.

read swin column 3, line 37,,

Column 2, line 20, for "spring for "and" read an line 42, for "connected read connecting line 4'7, column 4, lines 10 and 26, for "and", each occurrence, read Signed and sealed this 4th day of November 19580 ttest:

g'KARL MEI-NE ROBERT c. WATSON Commissioner of Patents Attesting Oificer 

